Greetings Earthlings

We have been searching the galaxy for a long time looking for a good solution to probing PCBs when debugging. This has led to a lot of frustrations. Soldering a tiny wire-wrap wire onto a pin or a passive component almost always ends in failure; bad solder joints, unsoldered SMT components, pads pulled off. There has to be a better way! 

Then we received a coded message from an extra-terrestrial radio signal. Upon decoding we found the plans for Alien Probe!

Clearly of superior intelligence, the aliens felt that a good PCB probe station should be;

• Affordable. Something every engineer, student or maker on any planet could have on their desk.
• Effective. Something that could be set up in minutes and would work in almost every situation.
• Microscope enabled. Modern SMT makes this a requirement.

After countless experiments we have adapted the alien plans into a system of;

• PCB holders
• probe holders
• USB microscope with special stand

These all have magnetic bases that attach to a steel work plate.

PCB Holders

The PCB holders contain a spring that allows the holder to grab onto the edge of the PCB. They can hold even the most oddly shaped PCBs without a problem. They keep the PCB at a comfortable height for working on and provide clearance below for connectors, JTAG cables, etc.

Probe Holders

The probe holders utilize an adjustable stainless steel needle probe with an integral spring. The spring provides the tension to keep the needle point on the desired spot. The magnetic base provides easy approximate positioning, with the spring probe allowing enough movement for fine positioning. The probes enter the work area from the side, providing an unobstructed view for the microscope. Each probe holder comes with three probe lengths; 25mm, 40mm, and 75mm.

Microscope

The adjustable microscope stand holds a USB microscope with a 30mm mount. The magnetic base keeps it stable on the work plate.

Work Plate

The steel work plate provides a surface for the magnetic bases to hold on to. It comes in a number of different sizes.

• 130mm x 150mm (5 ¼ x 6 inches)
• 130mm x 200mm (5 ¼ x 8 inches)
• 200mm x 200mm (8 x 8 inches)

Check out our Alien Probe store for all the options.